First Glance
by shanpam13
Summary: When Shannon's family moved to Japan, a man kidnapped them. He would've killed them had it not been for a stranger with dark eyes. Now that she's back, can she trust Kiku, someone who she barely knows to keep her safe from a crazed murderer?
1. Chapter 1

_(Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or anything else!_ These disclaimers are starting to get annoying, aren't they? This one's dedicated to, well, you can guess. But I'll say it anyway! Yukinataangel, you rock girl. This is getting too long for my liking, so here's the story!)

I glared at our captor; my family'd happened to be the lucky foreigners he'd picked up from the airport. Now, he had my mother, father, and me tied down to chairs with chains, ten feet away from each other.

"Please, just let her go! We'll give you anything, everything you want if you just let my baby go!" Mom yelled. Technically, I wasn't her baby anymore, at age twelve.

"Sorry madam, but I just love children." He purred, looking at me for a second before turning back to my parents. The reason his gaze didn't linger on me was my cold stare, one I'd never had to use since I'd stared down an African wild cat that had gotten into my family's tent when Dad had worked in South Africa. Now that we were in Japan, a much more dangerous cat had been stalking us.

So naturally, my family and I reasoned with this man in Japanese.

(Author's note: Yeah, it's called imagination. I doubt you guys could read this if it was in Japanese, so consider this a favor. You're welcome.)

"Please, there must be something you won't be able to get from us by killing my family. Name your price." My father was much calmer than my mother, but I could still see the desperation in his eyes. The man smiled, enjoying my parent's fears.

"Once again, sorry." He walked back over to me, pulling my chair, which was the only one not bolted down, ten more feet away from my parents.

"Wait, please! We'll do anything! We'll-" He ran over to my mother, slapping her so hard then she was knocked unconscious almost instantly.

"Robin!" My dad yelled, struggling to no avail. Annoyed, our captor struck out at my dad, knocking him out too.

"Shut up! Or I'll make sure that you're awake when I kill your daughter!" Of course I was terrified, but at that moment the strangest emotion I had was anger. How _dare_ someone do what he did to my family, to anyone. He turned around slowly, ignoring my now silent parents.

"Now for you." He grinned crookedly, taking a step closer to me. I stared at him levelly, letting him know through my eyes that I thought him under the poorest person in society.

He stuck out his left hand, reaching for my cheek.

Before he could touch me, a person who was dressed in all black jumped out from the shadows, pushing him away from me.

The stranger pulled out a katana, and cut the man's left hand off. My captor ran for the exit, howling in pain.

"I'll kill you! No one's ever escaped, no one ever will!" He dashed out the door, holding where his left hand used to be. The person in black, who was probably my height, turned to face me. Not wasting any time, he sliced through the chain that was binding me to the chair. He turned and set my parents free.

Then he turned to follow the man out the door.

"Wait! Please!" He paused, turning around to face me again. He had dark, expressive eyes. I could see some black hair coming out of his face mask.

"Thank you. So much." I could feel a tear slip down my cheek. His eyes softened, and he nodded at me before he dashed out of the exit.

I shook my head, looking at the road in front of me. Even though I could drive, Dad had insisted that he give me a ride to school. He parked in front of the high school I would've been going to for the past two years had I not been in Puerto Rico.

Because Dad was moved around the world every other year or so, I knew how to speak and write in a bunch of different languages. I was pretty lucky that I had photographic memory too, because I could hear something once and know it forever. That meant I could learn an entire language much faster than most of the people I knew, and already have secretly homeschooled myself-to an extent-all the way up into twelfth grade. Of course, it also meant I'd never forget memories like the one I'd just thought of, and I'd never forget the fear or pain.

But I'd also never forget the person who'd saved me and my family. I smiled at Dad.

"Good luck sweetie! Try and make some friends, okay?" I nodded, giving him a quick hug before I opened the door and stepped onto school ground. Almost immediately, I saw who'd been-and still was-my best friend.

"Yuki-chan!" I called, and she turned around, her face going from shock to joy. We'd always kept in touch by email even after I'd moved to England in seventh grade, and all of the countries after that. Thankfully, Dad had let me buy a Japanese laptop before we'd left Japan, which allowed Yuki to actually understand what I wrote.

"Shan-chan!" She called, wrapping me up in a bear hug. I'd always hated the nickname she'd given me, but I'd let her call me that since I met her and she didn't do a good job of pronouncing my full name.

"It's so good to see you again!" I laughed, breaking away from the hug. I was about to say something until I saw something so unexpected that I stopped my train of thought.

It was him. The person who'd save my family and I; that was definitely his eyes. He was dressed in a school uniform like the rest of us, so I had been right at guessing that he was around my age when I first saw him. I blinked, turning back to Yuki and forcing back my shock. Right now, I needed to focus on my friend.

"Which class are you going to for first period?" She asked, and we launched into multiple conversations, trying to catch up what we didn't say over email.

Another good thing about being ahead of everyone else in school was when I was in first period; I didn't have to focus on the teacher. Thankfully, the person who I'd seen earlier wasn't in my class-my first period at least-but now that I wasn't talking to Yuki, my mind was wrapped up around the fact I'd probably see him again.

"I wish math was more interesting." Yuki complained on our way to second period. When we'd checked our schedules, I'd found that Dad must've pulled a few strings and have me and Yuki in _every_ class together. I'd thank him later, when he asked about my first day back.

Eventually, we made it to lunch. I was surprised that my lunch was similar to Yuki's; but then again, I had fallen in love with Japanese cuisine ever since I had first come here when I was twelve.

You know how you get a feeling when someone was staring at you? Well, about halfway into lunch I turned around with that guess.

And was looking directly at the boy whose name I still didn't know.

But for less than a second. As soon as he'd seen me turn around, he'd looked back to the person across from him. I sighed, turning to face Yuki again.

"What's wrong?" Even though she was my best friend, this secret wasn't mine to tell. The only people who'd found out about what happened when my family first came to Japan had been the police. We'd even managed to keep it from the press. So, even though the thing I wanted most was to talk about it, I'd have to lie.

"Nothing." I decided to change the subject. "Is you mom still selling her art? Or has she decided to keep it for herself?" Yuki smiled.

"She's still selling them. In fact, I think she's making a picture for you. I'm pretty sure at least. I think it's a kind of 'welcome back to Japan' thing for you." I laughed, thinking about her mom sitting down on her stool and making the canvas coming to life.

"If she is, that's really, really nice of her." I glanced at the clock across the room.

"It's time to go; I really don't want to be late on my first day." Yuki laughed, packing up her stuff.

"You really can't say today's your first day Shan-chan! You've probably had more first days than anyone in all of Japan. But you're not moving this year, are?" I shook my head, smiling.

"Dad's vice president of the company now, I don't think he's going to get promoted again. In any case, I made him promise that we wouldn't move after this." Yuki led me to our science class.

"I assigned new seats today class. Look at the seating chart on the board to see them." Our teacher, a man with salt and pepper hair, said with his back to us. He was writing something on the board with his right hand, and I carefully walked up to the seating chart with Yuki, acting as normal as I could, talking just loud enough to be heard. The reason being was that this man was missing his left hand.

I reluctantly sat in the middle of the room, watching Yuki take her seat in the very back. But my luck was getting worse and worse.

Just as my new teacher turned around and confirmed that he was the man who'd picked my family up from the airport that day, another familiar face walked in.

"Kiku-san, you'll sit next to our new student." I looked down as Kiku, apparently our teacher hadn't guessed his identity yet, sat next to me.

During the lesson, I could tell that our teacher, called Takashi-sensei, was making sure not to pay much attention to me either. I hoped it meant he was going to leave me alone, but I remembered his promise to kill me. So it probably meant he was keeping a low profile so that no one would suspect him for my murder. When he turned to write something on the board, I clenched my hands into fists, cursing him. I didn't want my dad to move us again, and I'd already promised Yuki I'd stay here.

Finally, the bell rang. Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Kiku. He seemed emotionless, and I wasn't brave enough to talk to him. In any case, I'd already thanked him. Anything important had already been said at our first meeting, as scarce as it had been. Sighing, I looked over to find Yuki walking towards me. I heard Kiku get up, and what was probably my only chance to talk to him today was spent.

But then again, what would you say to the person you and your family owed their lives to?

"Shan-chan, are you staying after school? Or can we go home together?" Yuki's eyes sparkled. I laughed, always feeling better to see my friend so happy.

"Sorry, I have to get some forms from our teachers later. But next time for sure, okay?" She nodded, following a wave of students out the door, dragging me along.

"Actually, Johnson-san, I want you to get something signed for me too. Please come to my desk." I froze, forcing the fear out of my eyes before Yuki could turn around. Almost out the door, I saw Kiku stop and turn around. I shook my head, willing him not to blow his cover. Before I could see if he turned back or not, I faced the teacher.

"Here you are. Make sure I have it by tomorrow." I smiled at him, nodding.

"Of course Takashi-sensei." He grinned at me, leaning in to whisper in my ear.

"I know you remember. But if you move or tell anyone about me for any reason, I will hunt down your family and kill them while you watch. Got it? And don't give me anything about having the wrong girl. I know you have photographic memory."

"Of course Takashi-sensei." I repeated shakily, walking towards the door, noticing that Kiku was still there.

"I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself. My name is Shannon Johnson. You're Kiku-san, right?" He nodded, frowning at my expression.

"What did he say to you?" I sighed, looking at him. He was exactly as I remembered he'd been.

"Nothing I can repeat here. I need to get to my next class right now, is it okay if we talk about this later?" He nodded again, still looking concerned. I quickly caught up with Yuki in our next period.

I focused fiercely in history class, making sure to block all of the bad memories that were threatening me. The bad thing about photographic memory is the fact that, no matter how little you think about something, you'd never forget it. The only thing that kept me from going insane was the fact I had a lot of practice blocking these kinds of things. The entire time I was sitting next to Yuki, she would glance at me every couple of minutes. So when class finally ended, I was expecting, and dreading, the question she was going to ask.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." I decided to tell truth. Well, as much as I could tell.

"You know how some people go crazy from photographic memory? It's because they remember something from the past, most likely a bad thing, and they end up living in a surreal world. I probably never will, but I'm just trying to ignore some bad memories right now. Talking helps." She stared at me, open-mouthed.

"You never told me that! Gosh, you need to try and make an excuse to get out of the classroom and calm down when that happens." I shook my head.

"The point isn't trying to escape; it's overcoming your challenges. In any case, I don't want to miss part of class on my first week of school." She rolled her eyes, but nodded.

The rest of the day past in a blur, and I didn't see Kiku. By the time I was walking out of the school, I thought I wouldn't have another confrontation with Takashi-sensei either. But how do you avoid someone who wants you dead?

"Ah, there you are _Shan-chan_!" Takashi-sensei said mockingly from behind me. I stopped in my tracks.

"Please don't call me than Takashi-sensei. And I need to get home; I don't think it'd look good if a teacher followed a student out of the school." He laughed, throwing his right hand above my shoulder, forcing me to back up against the lockers. He leaned closer, his face inches from mine. I stared him down. Dismayed by my lack of fear, he took a step back.

Kiku came walking up the hallway before Takashi-sensei could do anything. He smiled at me.

"Remember, I will see you again Johnson-san." Kiku watched as he walked away.

"Thanks. Again." Kiku frowned.

"How do you know it was me?" He asked. I couldn't help smiling.

"Photographic memory. And Takashi-sensei said earlier that if I told anyone or if my family moved, he'd kill my parents while I watched." Kiku's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"You didn't do anything to him. What right does he have to threaten you?" I laughed bitterly.

"I was the one who got away. And I'm willing to bet that he blames me for getting his hand cut off." Kiku glared in the direction Takashi-sensei had left.

"But you weren't the one who did that. It's not right." I sighed.

"We can't do anything about it now. If I tell the police…if anyone does…" My hands balled up into fists and I forced back tears. "He works here. He can look up where I live, where Yuki-chan lives…" Kiku looked back at me, thoughtful.

"We'll figure out something. In the meantime, don't worry about him. I'll make sure he doesn't take any more victims." I nodded, feeling relieved.

"Thank you. My dad's probably waiting outside right now, so I'll see you around?" It sounded more like a question. But Kiku nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow Johnson-san." He gave me a small smile before he turned around. "Don't worry about Takashi-sensei." I nodded as he walked away. Turning around, I jogged out into the parking lot and got into Dad's car.

"How was your first day of school?" Dad asked. I laughed; bring back memories of Yuki so my smile would be genuine.

"It was great! Thanks for having me and Yuki-chan in all of the same classes." Dad laughed, driving out of the parking lot and onto our street.

"You're welcome!" I spent the rest of the drive home telling Dad everything about my day except for my teacher with one hand.

"Well that sounds great honey! I'm glad you had fun." He said as we pulled into the driveway. I got out and went straight to my room; getting my homework out of the way and avoiding mom, who would know if I was lying to her. Eventually though, I had to come out for dinner.

Acting as if today had just been a normal day, I came out to help my mom finish cooking when my homework was done. I talked about Yuki, and mom teased me about Kiku when I told her. Naturally.

"Mom! We just met! Just because I talk to a guy doesn't mean I like him that way!" Mom laughed, getting out the plates while I made final preparations for the soup. I rolled my eyes as Dad came in and kissed me on the cheek.

"That's right Robin, she's too good for them anyway."

"Isn't that what my Dad said about you?" Mom asked teasingly. They sat down as I started serving the soup.

"Well, that was different."

"Sure it was." I replied; bringing the rest of the food to the table and sitting down.

After dinner was over, I cleaned up the table and went to my room. Once I convinced myself that no one was going to try and kill me today, I got ready for bed. As pathetic as it was, only remembering the promise Kiku had made about not letting Takashi-sensei get another victim gave me enough peace to fall asleep. After all, when you and your loved one's lives are being threatened, you have to be able to rely on someone. Even if it's someone you barely know.

(Author's note: By the way. Please comment! I'll probably put up the next chapter soon, but I'll be pretty sad if no one comments besides Yuki. It could even be criticism for crying out loud! If you don't like something you read, tell me. If you did like something, tell me that too! I'll even take suggestions about what the next chapter should be about etc. So comment!)


	2. Chapter 2

_(Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or anything else._ Yep_._ I'm starting to get really irritated about writing that time and time again. Whatever. This one goes to Yukinataangel. You really saved me last time! Also, thanks so much to the people who commented on the pervious chapter, especially Mika Carrol! I really needed them! Enough of this, here's the story.)

The arrow flew across the field, landing about six inches from the center of the target. Trying to stay calm, I shot again. Next to me, Yuki kept hitting the grass behind the target.

"How do you do it Shan-chan?" She moaned, and I couldn't help smiling.

"I'm not perfect either. Thanks for doing this with me, I really appreciate it." Even though Yuki had hated the idea of joining the archery club, she had agreed to do it with me without asking questions.

"You're welcome! At least we get to see each other more, right?" I nodded, and sent another arrow flying toward the target. This time, it landed in the center. I glanced over my shoulder, where Takashi-sensei was watching me. For a brief second, I contemplated sending an arrow in his direction.

"Good job Shan-chan!" Yuki called, forcing me to look in her direction.

"Thanks Yuki-chan!" I tended to perform under pressure, or in this case, a death threat. "Try and aim a little lower Yuki-chan." She did, and finally got an arrow on the target.

Soon, practice was over. I waved to Yuki while she walked away.

"Takashi-sensei, I have a question on the homework you assigned." I whirled around at Kiku's voice, watching Takashi-sensei walk away from my direction.

"Thank you." I mouthed, and Kiku nodded slightly. Quickly, I got in my car and drove home.

School went on normally, or as normal as it could for me. One day, Yuki started to notice me talking to Kiku quietly before lunch. When we sat down, I could tell she was planning something.

"Oh, I didn't know that you and Kiku-san talk! You never really speak to him in Takashi-sensei's class…" I shrugged, trying to hide the fear bubbling inside of me at hearing my teacher's name.

"We talk sometimes. But don't get any ideas, okay?" She laughed, shaking her head.

"How could I not? You're so shy; I'm one of your only friends. I think we should invite him and his friends to sit with us." My eyes widened, and I shook my head.

"No, Yuki-chan, please don't! If there's one thing you can't do, it's that. I'm serious." Yuki grinned, forcing back a laugh.

"Why not? It's not like he'll bite us! And if you talk anyway, what's the difference? It's not like you have a crush on him…right?" I could feel my face turning pink.

"Of course not! I'm just not very good at keeping up a conversation."

"You do fine with me; if it starts to go bad, I'll talk to him." I shook my head again, forcing some food down my throat.

"Promise me you won't Yuki-chan!" She rolled her eyes, getting up. Before I could stop her, she walked over to Kiku's table. I quickly got control of my expression, closing my mouth and feeling the blush fade out of my cheeks. I saw the person next to Kiku, who had dark brown hair and eyes to match, smile and nod his head at Yuki, and the three of them walked back over to where I was still sitting.

Grinning, Yuki took her place next to me, Kiku and his friend sitting across from us.

"Hey, I'm Shinji. I already know Yuki-chan, but what's your name?" Shinji asked. I gave him a small smile.

"I'm Shannon Johnson. If you want, you guys can call me Shan-chan." Yuki beamed, glad to give me a nickname that I seemed to be going by. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kiku smile. It was a small one, but still there.

"Alright Shan-chan." Shinji replied, giving a broad smile to Yuki. "You came up with her nickname, didn't you?" Yuki laughed.

"Well, her name's kinda hard to pronounce, so I gave her a shorter one!" Shinji chuckled, nodding.

"I have to agree with that. Where are you from Shan-chan?" I blinked, not especially surprised at the question, but not entirely expecting it either. In any case, he was the first person besides Yuki to ask.

"I was born in Los Angeles, California, but I don't really remember it. I've been moving around every year or so since I turned two. But I'm staying here now." Shinji's eyes widened.

"Wow that must've been pretty exciting. I wish I could go out of the country!" I smiled uneasily, fighting back all of my bad memories.

"Well, the only person I've stayed friends with since I've moved is Yuki-chan…And not all of the places I've been have been what you'd call safe…" I took a deep breath, remembering the time my family had walked into the house we'd been living in at the time being robbed, and Mom had been shot in her left arm. I balled my hands into fists.

"Are you alright Shan-chan?" I was slightly surprised, but kinda happy, to hear Kiku call me by my nickname. I forced a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…remembering things." He frowned, concerned.

"Remembering? Oh that's right, you have photographic memory. Is there anything we can do to help?" Shinji asked. I laughed, shaking my head.

"Shan-chan, isn't your birthday coming up soon? Are you going to let me throw you a party this year?" Yuki asked, grinning at me. I laughed for real this time; Yuki always knew what to do to help me stay sane.

"I barely know anyone! Besides, I don't want you spending any money on me." Yuki rolled her eyes.

"Shan-chan, Shinji-kun and I would come." Yuki giggled, sensing my hands were tied. Even if Kiku hadn't directly asked for anything, I couldn't say no to him about anything. I owed him too much.

At least, that was what I told myself. Kiku gave me a smile, and I groaned.

"Alright, I'll let you throw me a party Yuki-chan." I looked away from Kiku, and saw Shinji smiling at Yuki and me.

"Yeah, we'll come Shan-chan! Since you're staying now, you can afford to make more friends, right?" I laughed, looking at Yuki.

"Yeah, I c-" I replied, noticing Takashi-sensei staring at my table; all of the blood draining from my face. He smiled at me. "Yeah, I can." I repeated. Kiku glanced at Takashi-sensei stood, then looked back at me. Yuki and Shinji stared, probably wondering what the heck was going on.

"What's wrong?" They asked simultaneously. As terrified as I was, I couldn't help giggling.

"Nothing. I just thought I saw a ghost. I was probably just imagining it." Yuki frowned at my lame excuse, apparently deciding not to press me further.

I took advantage of the silence and finished off the last of my food. Kiku sighed, glancing at Shinji. I felt a little bad for him; I could tell Shinji knew I was lying, and that he would ask Kiku about it later. Yuki, being her talkative self, brought up another subject. I tried to listen as much as I could, but my efforts were half-hearted.

"Hey Shan-chan, can I have your other cookie?" Yuki asked when she noticed I wasn't eating any more. Laughing, I agreed and handed her the last sugar cookie my mom had made in the batch. Just as she finished eating it, the bell rang.

After a few seconds everyone was walking towards their next class. Of course, that meant I had Yuki at one side of me, talking about a stray cat she found, and Kiku walking silently at my left side. Still I felt better with them next to me when I walked into Takashi-sensei's room.

All throughout the lesson, Takashi-sensei would glance at me, a strange calm in his eyes. It didn't seem like he was calculating if he should strike soon, more like he was observing my behavior. I was very quiet, pretending to focus on my notes and not looking at anyone. Finally, class ended.

As soon as I was out the door, I turned to see Kiku looking as worried as I felt.

"He's analyzing your behavior so he can guess your future actions. I'm guessing he'll attempt to strike in about a week." Kiku breathed, making sure no one else could hear. I shuddered, trying to stay in control. But I felt exactly like someone on death row-terrified and hopeless. In a week or two, the New Year Festival would be happening, and I'd be at my most vulnerable. Seeing my expression, Kiku grabbed my hand and pulled me to the side of the hallway.

"I _swear_ I will not let him hurt you or anyone else. You're safe as long as I'm here." My right hand was still cradled in his, and I couldn't help but feel comforted.

"When will I stop owing you?" I whispered, shaking my head. He smiled, chuckling a little.

"Well, you've done quite a bit for me." Before I could consider the meaning of that, he let go of my hand and spoke up again. "Come on, we're going to be late for class." I hadn't realized how we'd managed to avoid Yuki, but the stream of students heading for their classrooms was thinner and faster, desperate to be on time. We joined them, heading in opposite directions to our nest classes. In social studies, I sat down next to Yuki just as the bell rang.

After class, I expected the onslaught of questions Yuki fired at me.

"Where were you? What happened? Are you okay? Why were you blushing when you came into class?" I laughed. Rolling my eyes, I answered her.

"One at a time! I was talking to Kiku-kun about the homework, and I'm fine." She grinned mischievously.

"But why were you blushing?" I'd been intentionally avoiding that question, because I wasn't entirely sure what to say. Of course, I knew my friend was too smart and too stubborn to let me go that easily. But I was still a quick thinker.

"I dropped my books in the hallway and someone helped me pick them up. You know how I am around strangers…" She sighed and laughed, apparently satisfied with my response.

"You are so _shy_! You need to lighten up. Seriously, you're as brave as a lion when it comes to African wild cats, but your classmates? Please, I'm begging you, come out of your shell!" We gathered up our stuff, walking outside to our cars.

"I'll see you tomorrow Yuki-chan!" I yelled, waving. She waved back, climbing into her dark green, high end car. Next to her car, my faded blue used truck paled in comparison.

Carefully, I backed out. Trying to avoid any stray students or extremely small sports cars, I made my way out of the parking lot. Even photographic memory didn't help me with anything about driving besides not getting lost.

Relieved at not running anyone over, I drove home.

"Hey sweetheart! Can you help me with dinner before you start your homework tonight?" I nodded, going to take over her place at the cutting board. When Dad walked in, he winced.

"Do you have to take a chance at losing a finger instead of stirring the soup?" I laughed, stopping briefly to grin him.

"You know I won't cut myself Dad. Welcome home!" Not being able to help himself, he chuckled. Walking over to the counter across from me, he greeted Mom.

After we'd eaten dinner, I walked into my room and sat down at my desk. Looking at the date when I turned on the computer, I realized that Christmas was next week. And that tomorrow would be Friday. That meant that I had a week off, but it also meant I was going to be at my most vulnerable. Unguarded. For a week. Suddenly feeling light headed, I got up and laid down on my bed. Rolling up into a ball, I let out all of the tears I'd been holding back since that first day of school.

I cried quietly, because I definitely didn't want to explain anything to either of my parents. Eventually though, I calmed down enough to get ready for bed.

In the morning, my dark blonde hair was at its possible worst from the night before. At the very least, all the crying made my light blue eyes shine. Seeing my hair was impossible after brushing it, I pulled it up into a high ponytail for the first time since I'd moved out of Puerto Rico. Sighing, I grabbed my stuff and walked into the kitchen, scarfing down a granola bar before going out to my car.

I might've ditched school, except for the fact my mom wouldn't have let me stay home without a fever, and I wasn't exactly going to tell her about Takashi-sensei. So I put on my brave face and parked my car next to Yuki's like I did every day.

"Hey Shan-chan! You're hair looks so pretty up, but aren't you cold?" I laughed, giving her a hug and nodding.

"I think I might actually catch hypothermia if we don't go inside soon." Yuki rolled her eyes.

"Bad hair day?" She guessed, almost always right. Leading the way into school, I couldn't help but laugh at how well my friend knew me.

"One of the worst I've had all year." I replied, reaching up to touch the bottom of my ponytail. We walked into our first period class while I ignored the few glances that were sent my way by the rest of the class. Trying not to mark today as bad before I even got to lunch, I listened intently to Hiroko-sensei teach something I'd known for at least two years now. Finally, class ended.

Until lunch I'd been contemplating on what I should do during Christmas break. I knew how to shoot a gun, but I wasn't exactly a master at it, and I didn't want Takashi-sensei using it against me. So that basically ruled out any weapon. If I told the police, he'd most likely find out and kill someone before he came back for me. So that left staying home or with Yuki, pretending nothing was going on. So when lunch eventually did come around, I felt extremely down.

"What's wrong Shan-chan? You look so pale." I smiled at Yuki as she took her place next to me.

"Well, I'm just sad because Dad doesn't have next week off like we do. But work is work, you know?" Yuki nodded sympathetically as the boys sat down across from us.

Thankfully, Yuki was eager to tell Shinji and Kiku about a stray kitten she'd found on her way home from school, and I didn't have to pretend I wasn't scared out of my mind. The entire time Yuki was talking though, Kiku would glance up at me.

"Shan-chan, should I take you to the clinic?" Kiku asked quietly, trying not to interrupt Yuki even though she was nearly done.

"She is looking extremely pale today…" Yuki murmured, Shinji nodding in agreement. Deciding that Takashi-sensei couldn't leave in the middle of the school day, I nodded.

While Kiku and I were walking in the empty hallways, I felt someone staring at me again.

"Don't pay any attention to him, that'll only make it worse." Kiku whispered, grabbing my hand and leading me forward. When I was sure we were alone, I spoke up.

"Kiku-kun, next week there's no school. Are you sure Takashi-sensei won't attack then?" He nodded, though he didn't look so sure.

"New Year's Festival is when most teenagers get reckless. It'd be a lot easier to cover up his tracks than if he tried to attack during the break. I took a deep breath, letting him open the door into the infirmary and lead me in.

"There's no point in me going home right now Kiku-kun. Takashi-sensei might get curious and find out for himself where I am. I don't want him thinking I've gone to the police…" I winced, balling my hands into fists and closing my eyes.

When I felt a slight pressure on my hands, I opened my eyes to see Kiku holding them again. I relaxed, letting my hands loosen under his. He stared at me for a second before speaking.

"Please don't be afraid. I know that's a lot to ask, but I _will_ keep you safe as long as you need me to." I gave him a small smile.

"I'll try, but you can only protect me when I'm at school. Takashi-sensei has my records, and he can look up where I live or anyone else I care about. Eventually, he's going to find a way around you Kiku-kun." I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek. Kiku closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. As much as it scared me, I could tell he knew I was right.

"I could do it for you. He wouldn't even realize what happened when the police come for him." He opened his eyes, now filled with determination.

"I think he's suspicious of you. Whenever he's about to talk to me at school or try something, you're always there between us." I thought of the numerous times he'd asked Takashi-sensei about the homework on my behalf. "And when he finds out it was you, he won't be happy…" I could feel tears threatening behind my eyes, and I bit my lip.

"Shannon-chan," I blinked, wondering why he used my full name. "I've been taking kendo since I could walk. I also have the advantage of two hands." I couldn't help smiling with him, because it was so rare to see Kiku –serious, deadly, kind Kiku- smile. Not wanting to argue about this for much longer, I nodded.

"But not right away, okay? At least wait until the break so things aren't too chaotic." He nodded.

"Do you still need to go home?" I shook my head, looking at the clock.

"If we leave _right now_ we'll make it to class on time." Kiku sighed, probably as reluctant to go to Takashi-sensei's class as I was. Still, we got up and made our way back to his room.

We sat down just as the bell rang, and I could feel Yuki's gaze from the back of the classroom. She wasn't the only one looking at me though. Takashi-sensei made his observations less obvious today, but I still flinched when he glanced at me. Class seemed longer than usual, and I was relieved when Takashi-sensei announced the homework just before the bell rang.

"Are you okay?" Yuki asked just as we walked into the hallway. I rolled my eyes.

"You worry too much Yuki-chan, do you know that?" She laughed, letting me change the subject as she led the way to social studies.

"I do not! You look a lot better now though, I have to admit that." We laughed, walking into Fujishiro-sensei's room.

"Thank you." I replied, sitting down as Fujishiro-sensei started the lesson. He wasn't very old; with his friendly smile, handsome face, and energetic nature, anyone could bet he'd just graduated college. Still, it made me roll my eyes to think that half of the girls he taught had a crush on him. Thankfully, Yuki wasn't one of them.

After answering a round of questions about World War I, class finally ended. Thankfully, today Yuki and I had archery.

"Shan-chan, I've been getting better at my aim! Maybe we could have a contest on who's better." Ever since she'd begin enjoying herself during practice, she'd gotten good enough to challenge me. Of course, we were still amateurs.

I grinned. " You're on Yuki-chan!"


	3. Chapter 3

(_Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or anything else_. There's no getting around that, is there? Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while! I had to focus on a HUGE book report. By the way, this epic finale's dedicated to Yukinataangel. Yep. I absolutely had to say epic finale. Read it, you'll see why.)

"Honey, is everything alright? I thought I heard you crying last night, but I wasn't sure." I rolled my eyes, pulling my hair out of its pony tail.

"Everything's fine. I wasn't crying last night, so I'm not sure what you heard…" I always hated lying to my parents, or anyone for that matter, but this was literally a matter of life or death. So, I put on my best poker face.

"Alright honey, at least you get to stay home this week right? That'll be fun." I nodded weakly, glad I didn't have to force a smile as Dad walked out of my room.

Running a brush through my hair, I checked my email. Surprisingly, it was empty. I frowned, putting down the brush. Normally, Yuki would've emailed me by now about homework or anything interesting that'd happened when she left the school parking lot. Getting worried, I was tempted to call Kiku. You know, if I'd had his phone number.

Still, I picked up my cell phone and dialed Yuki's home number.

"Hello?" I was surprised, but relieved to hear her familiar tone.

"Hey Yuki-chan!" Knowing I needed an excuse for calling, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "Can you help me with my social studies homework? I'm not sure I get it…"

"Sure!" She replied energetically. As I pretended not to fully understand the homework, she explained what I already knew. Thankfully, I'd never told Yuki that I'd homeschooled myself for a while. After a long story about a cute guy she'd seen on her drive home, we finally hung up.

"Shannon! Come help me make dinner please." Automatically getting up, I walked into the kitchen and began chopping ingredients for sushi. When we finally sat down to eat, dinner was relatively quiet. That was mostly my fault, on account that I didn't want to drop any clues about my teacher or the plan to finally get him arrested. Still, my parents continued talking about subjects that didn't involve me. For a little while at least.

"Shannon, will you please drive to the grocery store? We're getting low on vegetables, and I'll need some more shiso for tomorrow's dinner." I nodded, knowing my chances for seeing Takashi-sensei at the grocery store on a Friday were extremely low.

"Should I clean up first?" Mom shook her head, smiling.

"You've been cleaning up for a while now; your dad and I will take care of it this time." I grinned; glad to hear I got a break. Getting up from the table, I walked over to my room and grabbed my car keys.

Driving for at least fifteen minutes to get something my mom wouldn't need until tomorrow wasn't comforting when the sun was dipping dangerously close to the horizon. Trying to stay under the speed limit while I still had daylight on my side, I drove into the parking lot faster than I usually would.

By the time I got out of the car, I was almost relieved I still had around five minutes of daytime left. Normally, I wouldn't be worried about going out at night alone, but I kept glancing over my shoulder on my way inside the store.

Roaming around in the produce section of the store, I saw a woman accidentally drop her bag of onions on the tile.

"Oh my…" She murmured, rushing to pick them up. I jogged over to her, grabbing any stray onions and assisting her with any out of her reach.

"Thank you dear. May I ask what your name is?" She looked familiar in a way, but I was certain I'd never seen her before.

"Of course. My name is Shannon Johnson, but most people call me Shan-chan if they can't pronounce it." She laughed, getting another bag to help carry all of the runaway vegetables.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you. Do you happen to be in high school? My son knows a Shan-chan." I blinked, nodding.

"I haven't met any other Shan-chans, that's for sure! Foreign names are so lovely. Thanks again for helping me. Are you having any trouble finding anything? You were looking rather lost before you came to help." I couldn't help laughing.

"Yes, I was actually looking for the shiso." The woman smiled, pointing to the aisle across from us. "Thank you ma'am." I replied, grabbing enough leaves for Mom to make the sashimi and watched the woman walk away.

I looked out of the large window, dismayed at the fact that my time had run out.

"Excuse me miss." I whirled around, stumbling backwards.

"You scared me." I sighed, relieved at the sight of a stranger. He laughed, his green eyes sparkling.

"I'm sorry, but I believe you dropped this." I nodded, surprised to be handed my cell phone. He walked away, and after I checked out, I began walking towards my car. Before I could open the door, I felt someone hook their left arm behind mine and cover my mouth and nose with a rag soaked in something that made me want to sleep.

"Ah, chloroform. It's so helpful at times, isn't it?" A dreadfully familiar voice purred before the world changed into darkness.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Above me was a wooden roof that must've been part of an abandoned building. I shivered, noticing that my jacket was missing. I tried to get up, but I realized Takashi-sensei had set me down on a bed and used four handcuffs to keep me at bay.

I groaned inwardly, knowing that chloroform made someone nauseas at the least, and violently sick at the most, depending on how much was used.

Because I needed to plan a way out, I took in my surroundings. From the inside at least, it looked like a strong wind could blow the entire building over. The wood was rotten and exposed, obviously very old. There weren't any windows, and I could feel my hope shriveling. What I needed to do was get out of the handcuffs. Then I made the mistake of sighing in frustration.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're awake. Do you need a bucket? I don't care if I get blood everywhere, but I certainly don't want to be covered in vomit." Sadly, my nausea was starting to fade. I knew I needed to put this off as long as possible, so not talking wasn't an option.

"You're not going to get away with this. The police will find you." He sighed, coming over with a curved knife that was almost as big as a sword.

"Don't start that now Shan-chan! I was hoping we could have a little fun." He purred, taking a step closer with each word. Even when he stopped talking, Takashi-sensei still came closer. Finally, he stood next to my face. "And I don't know what you've told Kiku-san, but you can believe that when I'm done here, I'm going to kill him." For Kiku's sake, I kept my face expressionless.

"First of all, don't call me that. Second, why would I tell anyone about anything, especially if I just met them? Third, this won't go on much longer. If not because of me, someday you're going to mess with the wrong girl and get yourself the death penalty." His eyes widened, then narrowed; he knew what I said was true.

Suddenly, he smiled. "You're going to pay for this Shan-chan. I was just going to kill you before. But now…" He laughed; a crazy glint in his eyes. "Now my dear, you will _suffer_." With that, he kneeled down and traced my face with the knife just light enough so I could feel its coldness. For the last time, I stared at him levelly. There was no getting out of this; I'd just have to make it without screaming. Takashi-sensei would not get that satisfaction.

He laughed again, moving it to my shoulder. "I promise not to cut any of your major veins until I have to go. And I won't dismember you either. When I'm done with you, as long as they clean the blood off, you'll still be beautiful." He purred, pushing the point down harder along my shoulder so that a line of blood formed, not enough to start pouring down my arm.

I stayed as calm as I could, keeping my mouth shut and not showing fear through my eyes. Takashi-sensei frowned.

"Don't worry dear; no one will hear you scream. So, if things get to be" he paused, looking for the right word "too unbearable, no one will think lower of you." Knowing it was over, I remained silent.

"Say something!" He yelled, moving the knife over to my torso. He slashed just deep enough so that the lower part of my shirt would be soaked in blood within a few minutes. My eyes widened, and I couldn't help gasping. Moaning, I grasping at the handcuffs restraining my wrists uselessly. Takashi-sensei laughed.

"That's better Shan-chan! Now you feel pain. But my dear, the fun's just started." He moved the knife to my right arm, sticking the point just above my elbow and pressed down hard enough for it to go in about an inch. I balled my hands into fists, tears rolling down my cheeks. I bit down, refusing to scream.

"As stubborn as always. Well Shan-chan, by the end of tonight you'll wish you'd given me more satisfaction. A few more screams, a little less fight. But you were never that way, even when you were twelve. Even now at sixteen, almost seventeen. Sorry, but you brought this upon yourself. Begging might help you."

Above where he'd cut into my torso, he dragged the knife along my shirt, letting part of my skin show. I knew it might've come to this, but I didn't think Takashi-sensei would go that far. I closed my eyes, a flood of tears falling down, burning where the salt water touched an open wound.

Laughing, Takashi-sensei dragged the knife along my collar bone, leaving a trail of blood.

"I won't start this right away _madam_. You're going to live for at least another hour." He looked at my arm. "Here, let me wrap this up for you. I don't want you dying on me before we're done." He got up, walking across the room and bringing a first aid kit out of the darkness. Smiling crookedly, he gently tended to my worst injury.

"There we are! The fun can start again." I glared at him, deciding that if I wasn't going to live, then I would die with everything on my mind out.

"If you think this is _fun_, then there's something seriously wrong with you. If you think killing people is entertaining, you need to get some common sense. What the hell happened to you in your childhood that made you the sick, sadistic monster that you are now? I know you're not going to give me any mercy, but if you're even the slightest bit human, you wouldn't be doing any of this. If-" The entire time I'd been talking, his eyes had gotten darker and more hostile. Before I could finish, he'd raised the knife and slashed my upper lip open. Apparently not satisfied there, he cut a gash above my left eyebrow, letting the blood flow so heavily it's blinded my vision on that side.

"That is _enough_ Johnson-san!" He yelled, moving directly over me. "I never thought you were so talkative. It looks like I'm going to have to silence you." Takashi-sensei leaned down, his head inches from mine. Glaring at him, I opened my mouth, filled with blood in less than a second, and spat in his left eye, making him as blind as I was.

"You filthy little _bitch_!" Takashi-sensei screeched, slapping me across the cheek hard enough to make my head spin. Before I could catch my breath, he got up and pulled the knife high over my right leg. Throwing it down with more force than I could've ever imagined he'd have, he ran it directly through my shin. Out of all the things he'd done to me, all the pain he'd inflicted, this had to be the worst.

My screams rang through the building, and probably much farther than that. I cried more, the salt water tears making the pain even worse.

"Please," I begged "please just kill me! That's what you came here to do." He laughed, wiping the mixture of blood and saliva out of his eye.

"Sorry honey. I'm afraid begging was your last option a long time ago." Suddenly, a wicked smile flashed across his face. "You know, I didn't come here _just_ to hurt you." He murmured. Sitting down on the floor next to the bed, Takashi-sensei dragged the knife down my left shoulder, the sleeve coming open.

_Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no._ If dying had scared me, it was nothing now. I'd lost a lot of blood already, and he'd neglected to wrap up my leg, so maybe I'd bleed out before he got to anything too bad.

But Takashi-sensei wasn't dumb. As cruel and perverted as he was, he wasn't dumb. I closed my eyes again, hoping that this would be over quickly.

"Open your eyes Johnson-san." I felt him lift up my head and wrap it. "I certainly wouldn't want you to miss the finale." I kept my eyes closed, but I heard him get up and wrap my left leg up.

So he was going to drag this out then.

"Now, now, I wouldn't want to have to hurt you again. Open your eyes Johnson-san." I obeyed, deciding that this would only be varying levels of torturous anyway. "That's better. Now, let's have a good time, shall we?" He took the knife and ran it down my shirt, cutting it just above my chest. My tears ran quicker, and I had sinking feeling.

But this was only going to be varying degrees of awful. I took a deep breath and calmed down, getting ready for my last act.

"Takashi-sensei." He glanced up from my chest and looked at me. "Even though I know there's no getting out of this for me, I know you weren't born bad and unforgiving. Something happened, something sudden or continuous that changed you. But I want you to know, that this will crash down on you one day. If not by getting arrested, you'll go crazy from seeing one too many innocent girls and their families die. I won't haunt you after I'm dead, because I'm not going to waste my life that way by hanging around. But my screams, every scream from every one of your victims, will ring out to you on your deathbed." He gaped at me, looking shocked and terrified, as if he'd never considered that before. Shakily, he stood up.

"_That_, my dear, was one too many lectures. It was the one that ended you." He moved closer to me, and I wondered if I'd pushed him into killing me before 'the fun ended'. If he did, I was sure that would be his first act of mercy in a long time, if ever.

He laughed again, a truly crazy glint in his eyes. Takashi-sensei slid the knife into its sheath and got on top of the bed, putting his hand behind my head and his left arm on the bed board. I struggled all I could, but he still managed to _almost_ rip up the rest of my shirt.

But before he could touch my shirt again, the wooden door helping to hold me captive burst open.

I almost smiled when I saw Kiku, dressed in regular clothes instead of his school uniform, come into the room with his sword drawn.

Takashi-sensei jumped off of me, throwing the knife under the bed and grabbing a katana in its place. Even unable to hold it with both hands, I could see how experienced he was. Deciding that distracting Kiku by yelling at him right now wasn't the best idea in the world, all I could do was struggle against my binding while I watched Takashi-sensei advance dangerously close to Kiku.

"You had no right to do what you did. The only reason I'm not going to kill you is so that your death sentence will be announced to all of Japan; and Shan-chan's suffered enough by your hand without seeing death forever in her mind." Takashi-sensei laughed, rolling his eyes in an easy manor.

"You're that boy who saved her the first time, aren't you? Well, this time you don't have the element of surprise, and I _will_ crush you." Kiku didn't reply, keeping his gaze focused on Takashi-sensei instead of letting his eyes roam towards my direction. I bit my lip, doing the best I could to see out of the one eye that wasn't cover in blood.

The room filled with the clang of metal, and they fought so quickly that I struggled to keep up with my limited vision and groggy brain. I knew that I'd lost too much blood, and I was actually surprised I hadn't passed out by then.

Something happened to wake me up faster than anything else. Takashi-sensei had more experience, and that showed clearly when he managed to finally get a blow on Kiku's arm. It was only a scratch, but I could feel my eyes narrow.

After a few minutes of intense fighting though, I could see Takashi-sensei beginning to slow down. His moves became less fluent, and his attempted blows less on target. Finally, Kiku got the sword out of his hand.

The entire time they'd been fighting, they'd slowly moved closer to the bed where I was restrained. Now, Kiku made a quick slash on Takashi-sensei's cheek, as if even his self-control couldn't restrain that small act of anger. And now that I could see Kiku's face, I could clearly see the fire in his eyes. Kiku pressed his sword point on Takashi-sensei's neck, and forced him to back up against the wall.

"Please don't kill him Kiku. I don't want you to end up going to jail in his place." Kiku narrowed his eyes at Takashi-sensei, but nodded. So fast that I didn't see it coming, he punched Takashi-sensei hard enough that he was knocked unconscious instantly. Then he rushed over to me, cutting through all four of the handcuffs.

"Thank you." I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks. Kiku shook his head, helping me up and wrapping his arms around me.

"You're welcome. I wish I'd been able to come sooner, but it took a long time to track him, and I needed to get the information out of my mom without raising too much suspicion. I'm so, so sorry that he did all this to you." Kiku whispered into my hair, and I could feel him wrap his arms around my waist, making sure that I wasn't putting any weight on my left leg.

"Don't be sorry. You stopped the worst of it, and you still saved my life." He chuckled darkly, taking a step away from me so he could support most of my weight.

"I can't imagine you being in much worst condition. Let me call the police; I wish you'd sit down, but I understand if you don't want to…" I shuddered, shaking my head. He sighed, taking his cell phone out of his pocket and dialing the station's number. I tried to tune out what he was saying, and I mostly succeeded.

"…And make sure you have armed guards escort him. He only has one hand, so you'll have to use something other than handcuffs to…" At that point I caught myself listening, and I focused on playing some of my happiest memories. For at least until the phone call ended, I was able to imagine the time my family were living together in Hawaii when I was seven.

"I'll be able to get you to the hospital faster, but they sent an ambulance anyway. But I'm going to start cleaning your minor cuts until they get here, okay?" I nodded, glad when he handed me a wet rag to get the blood off of my face.

The police got here before the ambulance did, two men followed by an entire squad. Even the older, burlier one, who had a grey beard and hair to match, seemed appalled by what Takashi-sensei had done. The squad wanted us to get out of the scene of crime, but at that point my leg, or the rest of me for that matter, was in no condition to be moved without intense pain.

So, we waited for the ambulance to come while half of the police drove Takashi-sensei to prison and the other half stayed to take pictures and collect evidence. By the time it came, I was seriously disoriented and sleepy.

"You have to stay awake until the ambulance comes. Please, we don't know if it's safe yet." Kiku would murmur every time I looked like I was about to pass out in his arms. Eventually, he sat me down on his lap and let me lay my head on his shoulder as long as I stayed awake. I was so tired that I didn't even care that I was getting his clothes-shirt, pants and all-covered in blood.

When I was finally put on the stretcher and hauled into the ambulance, they let Kiku follow without saying anything. I think they sensed it wasn't exactly a good idea to have me argue over something right now.

They checked my vitals on the way to the hospital, and everything seemed fine except for a dangerously low blood level. And, like Kiku, forced me to stay awake while they shoved an IV with essential liquids into my relatively uninjured arm. The entire time, Kiku held my right hand, which had still been bleeding above the elbow before he'd wrapped it, and the medic's had re-wrapped it.

Not surprisingly, my parents were waiting in the hospital lobby. And also not surprisingly, even though they'd heard about what happened in detail, they gasped and demanded the medics to give them a full report on my condition. Kiku stayed with them for a second, explaining everything about Takashi-sensei and what he had done that they hadn't been told.

Before they could chastise me for not doing anything about Takashi-sensei, I was rushed into and emergency room, and my parents and Kiku had to wait outside. I hoped that he told them about our plan to get Takashi-sensei in jail before they had a chance to come inside.

After what seemed like a million stitches and a cast on my leg when the doctors got it to stop bleeding, they did a last check and told me that I needed rest, but my parents could visit me for a few minutes. Then the head doctor glanced out of the small window agreed that Kiku could visit after my parents, if that's what we wanted to do. I just sighed and nodded, wondering how long I'd be in the hospital, and grateful that I had a week out of school to recover before I had to miss so much schoolwork that even _I_ would be in over my head.

"Oh honey! Why didn't you say anything? We could've done something, the police could've arrested him, and you could've avoided all this!" Mom was crying harder than I had been, and I couldn't help laughing.

"Mom, he had our address, he got home before I did, and he could've easily come to our house and killed you before I had a chance to call the ambulance and the police had a chance to arrest him. In any case, I'm alive, and he's in jail. Did you thank Kiku-kun by the way? Because that wouldn't be true without him." Mom and Dad nodded, walking over to either side of the hospital and grabbing my hands lightly.

"We did Shannon. And we understand why you couldn't tell us. But please honey, for our sake, tell us anything else that happens, alright?" I nodded at Dad, trying to keep my eyes open.

"How did he know where you were and what was happening?" Mom asked, forcing back tears that had previously been flowing. I sighed.

"I met his mom at the grocery store. She must've told Kiku-kun about me, and that she didn't see me come out of the store. Then he grabbed his katana and drove to the most likely place, which happened to be where I was. He saved my life _again_." My parents looked at each other, puzzled.

"Oh, he didn't tell you? Well, I guess there wasn't any reason to. You guys weren't awake when he saved us from Takashi-sensei the first time when I was twelve, but I saw his face. And when we came back to Japan, I noticed him at school." My parent's eyes widened.

"You could have at least told us the boy who saved our lives has a crush on you!" Mom exclaimed, laughing at the shade of red my face was turning.

"He doesn't! And I couldn't tell you because that would've brought up a subject too close to Takashi-sensei. In any case, he's in jail now." After pausing for a while, Dad started chuckling too. I guess he couldn't help but laugh at my expression.

"Well, he seems nice enough, and he did save your life twice…Kiku-san's fine with me." Even though it wouldn't lead to anything, I was surprised to have my dad's approval. Normally, he would've said he wished I'd start dating in college instead of giving him a heart attack the first time I'd tell him I had a boyfriend.

"Mom, Dad, if you don't mind, can I go to sleep now? I think I will anyway in about ten seconds." They smiled, somehow unable to bring themselves to laugh.

"Alright honey. Make sure you heal up, okay?" I nodded watching them walk out of the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

Not wanting to fight my eyes anymore, and not exactly thrilled with the pain Takashi-sensei had left behind, I finally left my eyes flutter close and drift off to sleep.

When I woke up, I found out I had slept right up until morning. What was most surprising though, was that fact I saw Kiku sitting in the visitor's chair, his eyes closed like he was sleeping too.

"Kiku-kun?" I croaked, my throat sore. He opened his eyes, looking at me.

"You're parents had to deal with all the legal matters. They let, asked me actually, if I could stay with you overnight." I blinked, but felt a small smile creep across my face.

"Thank you for staying, Kiku-kun. It'd really suck to wake up alone." He sighed, nodding.

"I wish I had gotten there sooner…" I rolled my eyes.

"Kiku-kun, if you _hadn't_ got there when you did, I'd be worse than dead. The pain sucks, but it would've happened anyway. You came when I needed you the most, and I owe you my life _again_. Lighten up." Apparently I didn't say thing like that very often, or I'd managed to make him feel better, because he smiled.

"I'm glad you think that. And I'll always come right when you need me." He said, walking over to the side of the bed.

"Promise?" I asked, sticking out my pinky finger. His dark eyes warmed, and Kiku leaned in, pressing his lips to mine for a brief second. He stopped, letting his forehead rest on mine.

"Promise." He whispered, linking his pinky with mine, smiling at the intense blush on my face.

(_Author's note_: I told you it was epic! And you guys can thank Yukinatanangel for helping me with the ending. I wasn't sure if it was the right thing, and I didn't even tell her about it. But when she wrote something similar to this, I knew it was the right way to go. Thanks again Yuki! And please comment, I take all, including criticism and praise and suggestions. But this IS the last chapter. I hope you liked it!)


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